YWCA Executive Director Jean Carroll leaving post after 33 years

Jean Carroll, president and CEO of the YWCA of Rochester & Monroe County, signs a pledge against racism at the YWCA's annual Stand Against Racism event.(Photo11: Jamie Germano/@jgermano1/ / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)Buy Photo

Jean Carroll, who has headed the area YWCA for 33 years, is leaving the position at the end of April.

"Over the past year, I needed to dedicate an increasing amount of time to my family’s health and keeping some level of a work/life balance has been a tremendous juggling act," she said about her decision. "It is in the best interest of the YWCA to have a new leader take on the opportunities and challenges of this position."

Carroll took the helm of the YWCA of Rochester & Monroe County in 1985.

The YWCA, like the national organization, has worked to tackle societal issues that can seem intractable, including racism, sexism, and homelessness.

"We have always had women in leadership who recognize the fact that it's about being responsive to the changes in the community," Carroll said in an interview. "If we're not being responsive to the changes in our community, we're not doing our job.

"... Our mission of eliminating racism and empowering women is still in process. There's always women who feel strongly about those two components of our mission, who want to be engaged and support us. And there are always women in need."

The local YWCA has two initiatives designed to tackle racism — Stand Against Racism, which brings together people and groups working for racial justice, and Person2Person, which pairs individuals of different races and ethnicities.

Carroll said there have been undeniable changes in the YWCA programs during her three decades. For instance, she said, when she started in 1985 the organization provided overnight housing for women who were visiting the community and simply needed a roof over their heads.

Now, much of the housing provided by the YWCA is for low-income and female-headed families in need.

"The child poverty rate is so incredibly bad that families need a lot of support," she said. "If that child is not supported from the the time that they're born, we will see the negative impacts, and we do see it right now."

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